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This wikiHow teaches you how to pair a Bluetooth speaker with a Windows or Mac laptop computer.

Steps

Method1

On Windows

1

Turn on your Bluetooth speaker. Press your speaker's "Power" button to turn it on. The process for turning on a speaker will vary slightly from model to model, so consult your speaker's manual if you can't figure out how to turn it on.

If your speaker needs to be connected to a power source as well, make sure it's plugged in before continuing.

You'll also want to make sure that your speaker is as close to your laptop as possible while pairing.

2

Open your computer's Start

. Click the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen.

3

Click Settings

. It's in the lower-left side of the Start window.

4

Click Devices. This option is near the top of the Settings page.

5

Click Bluetooth & other devices. It's a tab on the left side of the Devices page.

6

Turn on Bluetooth. Click the "Off" switch below the "Bluetooth" heading near the top of the page to turn on Bluetooth.

If you see the word "On" to the right of this switch, Bluetooth is already enabled.

7

Press your speaker's "Pair" button. This will prompt the speaker to begin searching for a Bluetooth connection to connect to (e.g., your computer). Again, this button's location and appearance will vary from speaker to speaker, so check your manual if you can't find the "Pair" button.

8

Click + Add Bluetooth or other device. This button is at the top of the page.

9

Click Bluetooth. It's the top option in the Add a Device window.

10

Click your speaker's name. You should see your speaker's name appear in the window after a moment. Clicking the speaker's name will select it.

Your speaker's name will most likely be a combination of its brand and model number.

11

Click Pair. It's in the lower-right side of the speaker's name card in the window. This will connect your speaker to your computer. You should now be able to play music and other audio from your computer through your speaker.

Method2

On Mac

1

Turn on your Bluetooth speaker. Press your speaker's "Power" button to turn it on. The process for turning on a speaker will vary slightly from model to model, so consult your speaker's manual if you can't figure out how to turn it on.

If your speaker needs to be connected to a power source as well, make sure it's plugged in before continuing.

You'll also want to make sure that your speaker is as close to your laptop as possible while pairing.

2

Click Bluetooth

. You'll find this icon in the upper-right side of your Mac's screen. Clicking it prompts a drop-down menu.

If you don't see this icon in the menu bar, open the Apple menu

, click System Preferences, and click Bluetooth.

3

Click Open Bluetooth Preferences…. It's at the bottom of the drop-down menu. Doing so will open the Bluetooth settings menu.

Skip this step if your opened the Bluetooth settings menu from System Preferences.

4

Enable Bluetooth if it isn't on. Click Turn Bluetooth On on the left side of the window. If you see Turn Bluetooth Off here instead, Bluetooth is already enabled.

5

Press your speaker's "Pair" button. The speaker will begin searching for a Bluetooth connection to connect to (e.g., your computer), prompting it to appear in the "Devices" section of the Bluetooth window. Again, this button's location and appearance will vary from speaker to speaker, so check your manual if you can't find the "Pair" button.

You may have to press and hold the "Pair" button as well.

6

Click Pair. It's to the right of the speaker's name in the "Devices" section of the Bluetooth window. Your computer and speaker will connect to each other after a few seconds. Once the connection is complete, you should be able to play your Mac's audio through the Bluetooth speaker.

Your speaker's name will likely be a combination of the model number and the manufacturer's name.

Article Info

This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article meets our high standards.